Rustic furniture maker to speak about the craft

Place a pile of twigs and sticks on a forest floor, and some people will see nothing more than a pile of sticks and twigs. Thome George sees handmade furniture.

George, a Winthrop artist, creates furniture out of sticks, and his work has won him acclaim in the world of rustic furniture. George will discuss “The Rustic Furniture Movement in America” in a talk at 7 p.m. today at Area 58, an art gallery and secondhand store at 3036 N. Monroe St.

George and gallery owner Dennis Held were students together in The Evergreen State College’s creative writing program in the mid-‘80, Held said. After settling in Tonasket, George began making furniture from local materials, Held said.

“Within five years,” Held said, “he started to become well-known in the furniture world for his pieces.”

George has shown his furniture pieces at the Western Design Conference in Cody, Wyo., and taught classes at the Confluence Gallery in Twisp. His work has been referenced in the books “Cowboy Chic” by Chase Reynolds Ewald and “Rustic Artistry for the Home” by Ralph Kylloe.

His portfolio includes rocking chairs, love seats, sideboards, end tables and wall decorations.

George is showing a chair, the Side Chair of the Piedmont, at Area 58. That piece, crafted during a stay in North Carolina, features nine different varieties of hardwood. He also will offer smaller rustic home decor items at the store beginning today, through July 15.

Before George’s talk, indigenous Western American songwriter Bill Wylie will perform. The performance will begin at 6 p.m.

For more information, call Area 58 at 327-0427. Examples of George’s work may be viewed at www.sweettreedesigns.com.